Today's Reading: Psalm 8 & 9

Glory Above The Heavens

In today’s Psalm (8), the Psalmist is taking a journey in his spirit to a far-away place… a place “above the heavens”! There, he senses the majesty and glory of Yahweh, the God of Eternity.

In David’s day, the “majesty” of a king was represented by the size or scope of his realm. If he ruled over a small town or city, his majesty was minimal. But if he ruled over many cities or regions, his majesty was considered great. How majestic was the king who ruled powerful nations. The word “glory” was used to describe the grandeur of the ruler as measured by the realm he reigned over. The king over a powerful nation was said to have great “glory” or “grandeur.”

In this context, David is declaring the majesty and glory of the LORD, his God.  His reign and “majesty” extend not simply to towns, or cities, or regions, or even nations. Yahweh’s majesty (scope of His realm) extends to all the Earth. Thus, the Lord is high above all nations and all kings or rulers. In fact, David goes on to say that God’s glory (the grandeur of His kingdom) extends into and beyond the heavens above the Earth. He rules over all of the seen and unseen realms and over all beings in all of existence. As Buzz Lightyear would put it, God’s grandeur extends “to infinity and beyond!”

The Lord has set His glory above the heavens.  This means He is superior to all princes, rulers, governors, kings, presidents, and bodies of people in the world. It also means He is superior to all of the unseen beings of the spirit world (angels, cherubim, demons, etc.)  Whereas, the glory of earthly monarchs is confined to this lower world, and to meager divisions of it, the glory of God not only fills the Earth, but Heaven too! There it is celebrated by thousands and myriads of blessed angels.  His kingdom is so high that it is far higher than heaven, being infinite and incomprehensible.

The LORD, our God needs no kingdom or realm to be majestic. He is majestic. He is glorious. But, for us finite human beings to even grasp the majesty of God, we must use language and terminology which is, by definition, insufficient to describe Him and His glory. Thus, David draws a comparison to earthly kings and declares that God’s glory and majesty are vastly superior to anything or anyone on our tiny planet.

So, how big is your problem today? Is there something that you’re facing that is burdening your heart and weighing you down? To you it may seem to be an especially big and difficult challenge or problem. But if you put it into the context of your loving God’s majesty, how big is it really?  Remember, the size of any problem is always measured by the agent doing the work. If you cast your burden on Him, it is but a tiny speck to the One whose majesty and glory is “above the heavens.” Let Him solve your “big” problem. He is majestic. He is glorious. He can do it!